WHEN IT COMES TO DOCTORS WHO TREAT THEMSELVES OR THEIR FAMILY A SECOND OPINION IS JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED

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They say a lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client. Well, how about a doctor who treats himself? In her blog, a physician who writes the blog Fat Doctor tells the story of how she told her husband to see a dermatologist after he expressed some reservations about her first diagnosis of a skin problem he had. And it's a good thing she did and he did!



"In my career, I've had several patients whose physician parent has treated them for whatever minor ailment (sprained ankle, small abscess, otitis media, whatever...) and the patient did not get better.



They come to me and without fail say, "My mom/dad told me to go see a real doctor."
We physicians are taught that treating our family members is a bad idea. At the minimum, it's hard to be objective. At worst, you could miss all the signs of a deadly condition.



Case in point: Husband had a sore throat. At his request, I looked at it and told him it didn't look streppy. Every day we repeated this. For a week or so. Finally, I said, "Go see a real doctor." And he did. Rapid strep turned positivein about 10 seconds.



Second case in point: Husband showed me a skin thing. It's nothing, I told him. A few months later he showed me the same skin thing. It's nothing, I told him. He clearly didn't believe me, so I said, "Go see a real doctor." And he did. Basal cell carcinoma. One wide-excision later, he is cancer free".

Freaking Weird